UP: Suspected Heat Wave Deaths Spread Chaos, Helplessness in Gorakhpur, Deoria

Lucknow: Bhuwan Ram has been shivering with fever for three days now. His wife has been soaking towels in cold water to reduce his body temperature. Many like Ram have been suffering from fever in Deoria, and in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's home turf, Gorakhpur. There is neither any decrease in the body temperatures of those suffering from fever, nor outside, with the soaring heat wave.

The problem is compounded with power fluctuation as neither fans nor coolers are working properly in these areas, with attendants of those suffering having to manually fan the patients.

On Monday, owing to the number of deaths, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, reviewed the heat wave conditions in the state with top officials. He directed officials to take effective steps and carry out measures for the protection of common man, livestock and wildlife. The CM also spoke to officials over rampant power cuts, as the rise in temperature and lack of electricity was proving to be a lethal combination.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Uttar Pradesh rose as a strong heat wave swept across the state, with temperatures fluctuating between 42-47 degrees Celsius.

Over 100 people have died since Friday across three states (UP, Bihar and Odisha), according to multiple reports. In UP, the most populous state in the country, Deoria, 53 deaths were reported in the past 48 hours due to suspected heat stroke..

Read Also: UP: Scorching Heat Snuffs out 68 Lives in a Week, Highest in Ballia

Similarly, five deaths were reported from Gorakhpur and three from adjoining Basti, four in Kushinagar and two in Sant Kabir Nagar. The general and child wards of the district hospitals are reportedly full of patients with fever and vomiting and diarrhoea, as per reports.

Meanwhile, the power situation in the state has crumbled and in most of the districts, particularly in rural areas, with reports of load shedding from 8 to 14 hrs daily.

Several doctors NewsClick spoke to have admitted that the number of patients in the emergency wards of medical colleges in the affected districts had increased due to heat wave conditions. In Deoria, the death toll was reportedly the highest on Saturday night. From 5 p.m till 1 in the night, there was an influx of patients. A large number of patients came till 5 p.m on Sunday. Most of the patients are elderly, said a doctor, refusing to be named.

Jitendra Kumar, a hearse driver in Deoria, told NewsClick that he had never seen so many people die in a day in recent times (barring the pandemic). "I carried 26 dead bodies on Sunday. So many people are dying from the heat that we are not getting a minute’s time to rest. The district hospital is unable to accommodate more patients, and its morgue had no capacity after 53 people died due suspected heat conditions," he claimed

CP Tiwari, Emergency Medical Officer at the district hospital in Deoria, confirmed that due to the scorching heat, the number of patients in the emergency had increased manifold. Patients suffering from heat stroke, fever, difficulty in breathing, unconsciousness and other problems are coming. "About six-seven deaths are happening every day," Tiwari told NewsClick. 

The situation in Gorakhpur is also worrisome as people are not finding beds even after visiting five hospitals.

"On June 18, around 150 patients of heat stroke and diarrhoea were admitted to the emergency ward of the district hospital and medical college in Gorakhpur till 7 p.m. At the same time, eight people were brought dead in the emergency of the district hospital. A woman died of breathlessness 10 minutes after admission. It is suspected that all of them have died due to heat stroke," Raman, a doctor, told NewsClick. 

As the largest Gorakhpur government hospital and several others filled up two days ago, pressure has been mounting on BRD Medical College, the largest government hospital in Gorakhpur, and officials are struggling to cope with it.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau, and Ballia.

The situation inside Ballia district hospital is said to be worse after at least 54 people reportedly died in the last three days, with families and doctors scrambling even as many patients required urgent medical attention.

The prevailing inhospitable condition has become a cause for concern for the district administration. 

A group of doctors from Lucknow reached Ballia to investigate the cases on Sunday, as reported by NewsClick earlier. The group, comprising Director (Communicable Diseases) Dr AK Singh and Director (Medical Care) KN Tiwari, inspected the wards at the Ballia district hospital, and ruled out severe heat as a key reason behind the rise in deaths of elderly patients in the district. 

However, doctors and medical experts apprehended that if the intense heatwave continues, there could be a rise in hospitalisation and, in worse cases, even deaths. They said the government needs to prepare better to deal with the situation.

"Increase in humidity and temperature could lead to rise in heat stroke cases. The human body doesn't sweat properly when humidity is high, leading the body temperature to rise and patients suffering from heat stroke," Dr Sumit Pandey, a doctor in King George’s Medical University (KGMU_, told NewsClick. 

Situation ‘Horrible” in Gola

Gola, a small town 53 km from Gorakhpur district reportedly witnessed 182 deaths due to multiple reasons, including heat wave, in a week. 

According to the sources, the number of dead bodies arriving at Beori Ghat in Gola within a week increased four-fold from normal days. 

Rajendra Yadav, in-charge of the registration office at Beori Ghat in Gola, said that the number of dead bodies had increased almost four times as compared to normal days.

He said that on June 14, as many as 19 bodies, 29 bodies on June 15, 35 bodies on June 16, 22 bodies on June 17 and 32 bodies had been cremated till noon on June 18. According to him, 60% of these dead bodies were of people below 50 years of age.